Capabilities

EMBROIDERY

Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery gives a professional, distinctive and sophisticated look to your logo. It is also the most durable option available and won’t wear off. Much contemporary embroidery is stitched with a computerized embroidery machine using patterns “digitized” with embroidery software. In machine embroidery, different types of “fills” add texture and design to the finished work.Embroidery is often used to put a company logo or monogram on polo shirts, bags, golf towels, hats, jackets, and almost any other fabric item. Multiple colors can be done and there are many colors available to match your logo.

SCREENPRINT

Screen printing is a stencil method of print making in which a design is imposed on a screen of polyester or other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance. Ink is forced into the mesh openings by the fill blade or squeegee and onto the printing surface during the squeegee stroke. A number of screens can be used to produce a multicolored image or design. Screen printing is the most commonly used process when it comes to decorating garments – everyone has worn a t-shirt that has an imprint on it, think of a charity race shirt or the latest team championship shirts in stores. A variety of specialty inks are available (discharge, foil, gel, glitter, metallic, sequin).

LASER

A laser engraver is a specialized machine that will fire a specific frequency laser beam to remove the surface of a material. The laser machine is similar to a flatbed printer where the print head controls where the laser hits on a material. We have two types of lasers: YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) and CO2. Having both types of lasers allows us to engrave on a wider variety of materials such as: plastic, acrylic, wood, coated and uncoated metals, fiberglass, cork, leather and much more. Lasers can engrave items with extremely fine detail up to 1200 dpi. Common products from our lasers include: name badges, recognition plaques, race medals, desk nameplates, custom signage, and acrylic awards. We can cut and engrave on many different materials so don’t hesitate to ask! Types of materials that can we can laser engrave include:

Natural (Wood) – Hardwoods like walnut, mahogany and maple produce good results. More often than not we “colorfill” the area that is engraved to provide definition and con-trast.

Plastic – Plastic comes in many forms and must possess properties in order for the substrate to withstand the heat of the laser during the engraving process. Most name badges and name plates are plastic. Clear “plastic” awards that we carry in the shoppe are acrylic. Can we engrave plastic if you provide it? We need to try a test to see if it has the correct properties for engraving.

Metals (raw and coated) – Raw metal engraves well. The material determines the final appearance (subtle, some contrast, high contrast). Metals that have a painted/coated surface can be also engraved. The coated surface will be burned off to reveal the core metal beneath.

Engraving

Known as “Diamond-Drag”, this method uses a non-rotating tool with a cone-shaped diamond tip, which is dragged with pressure through metal, leaving an impression. Diamond-drag creates quality engraving that compares to hand engraving. Diamond-drag is used on soft metals such as aluminum, brass, silver, pewter and gold. Diamond-drag engraving is usually used to remove the top colored coating to expose the bare metal underneath (gold if brass or silver if aluminum). If the material has a clear coating instead of colored, the engraved area can be oxidized to blacken it and provide a contrast to the background. Burnishing is the process of removing the surface coating on metal, while polishing the exposed material, and is another method of engraving on brass and aluminum. The significant differences between burnishing and diamond drag engraving are the type of tool used and the use of the spindle motor. Keep in mind that a burnishing tool does not really “cut” the metal, but is more of a marking technique. Common items that can be engraved with these machines include: jewelry (watches, rings, bracelets, charms, lockets, money clips), loving cup awards, metal pens, business card cases, pictures frames, wedding cake knife and server sets, and medallions.

PAD PRINTING

A decorating process that uses a silicone rubber pad to transfer paint or ink from an etched plate to the surface of a part. It allows a 2-D flat image to be applied to a 3-D object. The unique properties of the silicone pad enable it to pick the image up from a flat plane and transfer it with very high detail to a variety of surfaces (flat, cylindrical, spherical, compound angles, textures, concave and convex). Common products that are pad printed: golf balls, drinkware, water bottles, key chains, watches, flasks, and machined parts.

SUBLIMATION

Sublimation is a transfer process in which the image becomes a part of the actual item. Sublimation uses ink, paper, a heat press and specialty coated materials that allow a high detail full color image to be transferred into the final product. It is ideal for small runs or with items that have personalized text. Common products that are sublimated: recognition plaques, acrylic awards, ID tags, coffee mugs, and drink koozies.

EMBROIDERY

Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery gives a professional, distinctive and sophisticated look to your logo. It is also the most durable option available and won’t wear off. Much contemporary embroidery is stitched with a computerized embroidery machine using text and logos “digitized” with embroidery software. In machine embroidery, different types of “fills” add texture and design to the finished work.

Embroidery is often used to put a company logo or monogram on polo shirts, bags, golf towels, hats, jackets, and almost any other fabric item. Multiple colors can be done and there are many colors available to match your logo.

SCREENPRINT

Screen printing is a stencil method of print making in which a design is imposed on a screen of polyester or other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance. Ink is forced into the mesh openings by the fill blade or squeegee and onto the printing surface during the squeegee stroke. A number of screens can be used to produce a multicolored image or design.

Screen printing is the most commonly used process when it comes to decorating garments – everyone has worn a t-shirt that has an imprint on it, think of a charity race shirt or the latest team championship shirts in stores. A variety of specialty inks are available (discharge, foil, gel, glitter, metallic, sequin).

DEBOSS

An impression of your logo is made into a material’s surface. A die is created and then heat-pressed into the material. This decoration method is perfect for products where subtle and high perceived value are desire and most often is done on leather or leather-like items such as executive padfolios.

HOT/FOIL STAMPING

A process similar to debossing where a die is created and used against the surface of the product, but a foil material is placed between the two. The die forces the foil to transfer onto the object giving the imprint a metallic appearance. Foil is available in multiple colors but most often gold or silver is used.

Etching is done by precisely aiming a pressurized abrasive (sand, aluminum oxide or silcon carbide) substrate at the exposed areas of a material. A special stencil is used to only allow the abrasive to carve in the exposed areas that need to be etched. Etching gives a frosted look to the areas that are hit but an additional color-fill of a variety of colors can be applied. We offer a custom hand paint fill as well that provides a look similar to stained glass. Etching can be used on many types of materials such as: crystal, glass, marble, stone, and even some metals. Etching can produce highly detailed logos and text and is often used for corporate awards and valued employee recognition.

VistaKhrõm is a UV printer that offers instant curing of a digitally printed image, with the ability to print onto a WIDE variety of media. With instant curing, it is possible to achieve a unique layered texture, or raised printing effect, providing a dimensional (tactile) print. Using CMYK inks including White, Primer and Clear Coat we can achieve just about any color.

Ultraviolet (UV) printing is the process of using UV inks instead of traditional inks. Traditional inks are solvent based and dry by allowing chemicals to evaporate over time. UV inks are dried (cured) with UV light.

COMPLETE CATALOGS

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"Thank you very much for your help making this special project in memory of our father."